Retractable headrest



Feb. 8, 1955 A T, HASCHAM ETAL 2,701,606

RETRACTABLE HEADREST Filed Aug. 19, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENIORS MMX Mcm W #WFP M- HL Feb. 8, 1955 lA. -r. HAscHAM E-rAL l 2,701,606

RETRACTABLE HEADREST Filed Aug. 19, 1949 2 She'etS-Sheet 2 o o 0 o n oA RETRACTABLE HEADREST Abraham T. Haschal and Thomas A. Hashem, Cheektowaga, N. Y.

Application August 19, 1949, Serial No. 111,198

6 Claims. (Clt 155-177) The present invention relates to backsv for chairs of the' type used in barber shops, dentist oiiices, and beauty parlors although such chairs can also be used in trains, buses and the' like as Well asin the home. It is an object of the invention'to provide such a chair back having contained therein a retractable headrest which may be easily extended into position for use or retracted. A further object of the invention is to provide operating means for the retractable headrest which is simple to operate, positive in operation and so ararnged as to be convenient yet inco'nspicuous. Still other objects of the invention are to provide a chair back which may be substituted for the ordinary backs in use without structural modification of the chairs and to provide a chair back having' conveniently arranged therein a portion which may serve as aseat forl children.

Otherobjects ofthe invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention taken in conjunction with' the drawings.

In the drawings: j

Fig. l is a'front elevational view of a chair back in accordanceY with the' present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View similar to Fig. 1, with the front of the chair back cut away and portions of the retractable headrest and its supportsl broken away to better show the construction.l

Fig. 3 is a vertical forev and aft sectional view.

Fig. 4 is a sectionalfview on line 4 4, Fig. 2 illus? tratin'g the operatingmeans for the retractable headrest.

Fig.- 5 is a sectional view on linel 5-5, Fig. 2 which shows the mechanism-` for forward extension of the headrestinto position for use.

The invention-1in this applicationv is an improvement on the invention disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No. 2,158,183, issued May 16, 1939. i

Although the chairback of the present inventionv may be constructed in various shapes, it has been illustrated in" the' drawings, by' the numeral 10', as generally rectangular withrounded corners. It comprises,` as shown best in Fig'. 3', a back plate lllhaving a peripheralv outwardly extending ange 12, anda front cover or shell 13 which has a` rim portion 13a fitting within the flange 12 and secured' to the baekplate 11 by suitable means such as screws- 14. The space or recess 15' enclosed by back plate 11 and the main p'ortion of the front shell 13 provides room for a retractable headrest 16 and the actuating mechanism therefor.

Headrest lcomprises end plates 17 which are attached-to the ends of support l8'and are attached at their tops kto bracing member 25. Support 18, which may conveniently beA formed of two intertting plates, is provided withA a longitudinally extending slot 19 and is carried by an arm 20 to which it is attached by a telescoping connection comprising a cylinder 21 attached to the support 18 and a piston-like member 21a slidable in the cylinder 21. The outer end of the member 21a is provided with a threaded studY 2112 which with a nut 21e secures the member to the upper end of the arm 20.

Extending between and connected to end plates 17 a series of tensioned coil springs 22 is provided, these springs furnishing the support for headrest cover 23 of fabric, leather, or other suitable material which is stretched over the springs and fastened in any suitable manner.

Also extendingv between end plates 17 is rod 24 which is adapted to supporta roll of papervso that a web of paper may be pulled around vover cover 23 and under top bracingmember 25 thus providing a sanitary, changeable outer' cover for headrest 16.

tes Patent y f te@ The actuating means by which headrest 16 is caused to be extended from or retracted into the recess in chair back 10 will be bcstunderstood from Fig. 2. In this figure, headrest 16 is shown in full lines in retracted position and in broken lines in extended position. As will be seen in the drawings, arm 2i) is attached by any sutable means such as screws 26 to plate 217. Plate 27 is slidably mounted on actuating rods v28 betweena closure plate 29 and collars 30,l the latter being fastened to rods 28 as by set screws 31.

Actuating rods 28 are polygonal and preferably square I in cross section and each is twisted through 90 degrees at one point in its length, as shown by thenumeral 32, and below the middle thereof, to provide a portion adapted to have `a cam-like action. Rods 28 are rotatably attached at' their lower ends to a plate 33 which is carriedby slide member 34, being attached thereto, as by screws 35.

Slide member 34 is slidably engaged and guided by plates 36 which are removably attached at their lower ends, as by screws 36', to support 37 and at their upper ends to support 38. Attached to slide member 34 is a rack 39 (best shown in Figs. 3 and 4) adapted ,for vertical movement and engaged with pinion 40 which is carried by shaft 41 and operatively connected thereby for rotation with rotary disc 42. Disc 42 is preferably mounted in a recessed boss 43 in back plate 11 and is provided with a handle 44 having aj spring pressed plunger 45 adapted to be received in any one of a plurality of angularly spaced holes 46 in back plate 11, thereby holding disc 42 in fixed position.

Actuating rods 28 pass through and are guided through support .38 by polygonal holes 38 of the same shape as the rods. At the upper ends of rods 28 are aflixed horizontally extendingarms 47 having at their outerends pins 48 which extend vertically upwardly andare rei ceived within slot 19 of supporting' member 18. v

Surrounding rods 28 and interposed between the upper surface of,` support 38 `and closure plate 29 are springs 49 and washers 50, the springs being adapted to cause closure plate 29Y to follow upward movement of platek 27. Flfhere is preferably attached to plate 27 a perforated tube 56 which' is adapted to contain a disinfectant.

Above retractable headrest 16 ange 12 of back plate 11 is widened as shown by the numeral 51 and has' an opening 52 therethrough which registers with a ,c orf' responding opening 53 in the rim 13a of front cover or shell 13. Opening 52 is closed by a cover 54' which may be' pivotally mounted as by hinge 55. A spring (not shown) may bel provided to resiliently maintain' cover 54 in closed position when headrest 16 is re` tracted into back`10.

The numerals 57 are applied to supporting membersI which extendl forwardly from back plate 11y and are provided with vertical' slots 58.` Front cover 13 of chair back 10 has a cut away portion or opening 59 therein and spaced inwardly therefromL a depending portion 60' which partially covers the opening 59. Received within* the cut away portion 59 is a seat 61 having attached to the lower corners thereof hanger arms 62 each' of whichf has at its outer end a horizontally extending pin 63` slidably and rotatably mounted in one of slots 58 in'y sup'- ports 57. At its upper end seat 61 is provided with a prong 64 which is adapted to be removably held in spring clip 65 mounted in a recess 66 at the top of cut away portion 59.

The provision of a headrest on a barbers chair is a necessity since the head of a customer who desires to be shaved must be supported. At the same time the'4 headrest is of no use and, indeedA obstructs the barber when he is engaged in cutting the hair yof customers seated in the chair. B`y means of the construction of the present invention the back of the chair is provided with a recess 15 in which the headrest is mounted and into which it may be retracted during such periods.

When its use isV again necessary the headrest may by' a very simple operation be raised from' within the chair back and moved forward into proper position;

The mechanismk by which the headrest 1s moved intoposition or retracted into the chair back functions in the following vmanner:

position as shown in Fig. 3 and, in full lines, in Fig. 2, and that it is desired to raise and propel it into proper position for use, the barber will grasp handle 44 on disc 42, pull the handle outwardly to disengage plunger i5 from hole 46 and turn the handle in a clockwise direction. Pinion 4i) will thus be caused to turn and actuate rack 39, causing the latter to move upwardly. Since rack 39 is attached through slide 34 to plate 33, which is in turn secured to the bottom ends of actuating rods 28, the upward movement of rack 39 will cause rods 28 to also move upwardly. Headrest 16 will thus be carried upwardly by arms 47 at the tops of actuating rods 28 lifting supporting member 18. Plate 27 will accompany the headrest as it is connected thereto by arm and telescoping connection 21.

As the twisted portions 32 of actuating rods 28 pass through the guiding holes 38 in support 38, the rods will be caused to turn through a 90 degree angle. Arms 47 attached to the upper end of rods 2.8 will likewise be turned and pins 48 thereon, which are movable in the slot 19 of support 18 of headrest 16, will cause the headrest to be projected forwardly into proper position, the headrest, of course, having been raised sufciently before its forward movement to be wholly outside the chair back. Variation in the height of the headrest 16 may be obtained depending upon the extent to which support 1S and actuating rods 28 are raised after the headrest is projected forwardly into position for use. The desired vertical position of the headrest will be retained by permitting plunger 45 on handle d4 to be received in one of the holes 46, thus locking the headrest in position. Springs 49 which loosely surround actuating rods 28 cause closure plate 29 to follow the upward movement of the headrest and to partially enter into and close the openings 52 and 53 at the top of the chair back. Cover 54 is opened automatically by the upward movement of headrest 16 and closes when the headrest is retracted.

Retraction of the headrest involves merely the reversal of the operations described in the foregoing description of the raising of the headrest into position. Handle 44 of disc 42 is pulled out to disengage the locking plunger 45 and disc 42 is then turned in the opposite direction (counterclockwise when facing disc 42). This rotation causes lowering of rack 39 with actuating rods 28, plate 27, and headrest 16. As the actuating rods pass through the guide holes 38 in support 38, they are turned through a 90 degree angle which causes headrest 16 to be pulled rearwardly from its advanced position and centered over the opening in the top of the chair back 1t) through which it can be lowered by continued movement of rack 39.

In the past it has been customary when children occupy a barbers chair for a board or other seat to be placed across the arms of the chair so that the child is raised suiciently to permit the barber to Work eiciently and conveniently. Such temporary expedients are undesirable as, in most cases, time is lost in finding the board to place across the chair arms and the board is not firmly secured so that movement of the child may dislodge it. By another part of the present invention there has been provided a disappearing auxiliary seat which is suitable for children and which is not subject to the foregoing objections. As shown in Figs. l and 3 of the drawings the auxiliary seat 61 tits within a cutout portion 59 of the chair back and at its bottom corners is provided with hanger arms 62 having pins 63 slidably and rotatably movable in slots 58 of supporting members 57. When the seat is pulled down to a horizontal position pins 63 ride up in slots SS and permit the lower edge of seat 61 to rest against members 57 and the outer face of the seat 61 adjacent the lower edge thereof to rest on the bottom edge 59a of the cut out portion 59, thereby providing a firm, braced support for seat 61. When seat 61 is no longer needed it may be moved out of the way by merely lifting it and pushing it into position to close cutout portion 59.

The disappearing auxiliary seat above described is strong and conveniently arranged. It has the further advantages that its construction is simple and that no adjustment or regulation is required.

Back plate 11 of chair back 1i) is preferably constructed of metal as is the operating mechanism for extending and lowering headrest 16. Front cover or shell 13, althoughit may be madeof other materials, is preferably of wood, thus making it easier to apply the upholstery (not shown) which is ordinarily provided Aon barber chair backs. The outside of seat 61 may be upholstered in the same way as the rest of shell 13 and if desired the seat may be provided with a pad (not shown), on the top thereof. Such a pad will be received in the space between seat 61 and depending portion 6i). For the sake of appearance the small recess 66 at the top of seat 61 may be covered by a tab of upholstery which will conveniently serve as a handle for seat 61.

The many advantages of the improved barber chair backof the present invention will have been perceived from a reading of the foregoing description of its construction and operation. There is provided by the f present invention a chair back which can be constructed in an external form suitable for use with any standard barber chair. Such a chair back provides a sanitary retractable headrest which when not in use is stored in a dust-tight compartment, its sanitary condition being assured by the use of perforated tube 56 to cause the release of disinfecting vapors within the storage compartment or recess. The retractable headrest when needed is readily accessible and may be easily raised and placed in proper position for use. Along with the retractable headrest there is also provided a conveniently mounted disappearing childrens seat. It may be harmonized with the upholstery of the chair back and is available for use at all times. It will be understood that the chair back of the present invention may also be applied when desired to dentist chairs and chairs for other purposes.

While in the foregoing specification there has been described a specific embodiment of the present invention,

, it will be appreciated that it is not intended that in practice the construction will be limited to such specific details as have been herein set forth. Various modications of the embodiment described which are comprehended within the spirit of the invention will be apparent, and it is not intended that the invention should be limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. In a chair back of the character described having a back plate, a front cover attached to said back plate and including a portion spaced therefrom to provide a recess and a headrest mounted within said recess, the combination of operating means mounted on the outside of said chair back, and actuating means for said headrest in said recess and connected to said operating means, said actuating means comprising a plurality of polygonal rods movable longitudinally to raise said headrest from within said recess, each of said rods having a portion thereof twisted through an angle of degrees and being slidably received within a co-operating polygonal guide, said rods having means thereon operatively connected to said headrest to move the same laterally during rotation of said rods as the twisted portions thereof pass through said guides.

2. In a chair back of the character described having a back plate, a front cover attached to said back plate and including a portion spaced therefrom to provide a recess, and a headrest mounted within said recess, the combination of operating means mounted on the outside of said chair back and actuating means for said headrest in said recess and connected to said operating means, said actuating means comprising a plurality of rectangular rods movable longitudinally to raise said headrest from within said recess, each of said rods having a portion thereof below its middle twisted through an j angle of 90 degrees and being slidably received within l a co-operating rectangular guide, said rods having means thereon operatively connected to said headrest to elevate said headrest and, during rotation of said rods as the twisted portions theerof pass through said guides, to move the same laterally.

3. In a chair back of the character described having a back plate, a front cover attached to said back plate and including a portion spaced therefrom to provide a recess, and a headrest mounted within said recess, the combination of operating means mounted on the outside of said chair back and actuating means for said headrest in said recess and connected to said operating means, said actuating means comprising a plurality of square rods movable longitudinally to raise said headrest from within said recess, each of said rods having a portion thereof below its middle twisted through an angle of 90 degrees and being slidably received Within a co-operating square guide, said rods having means thereon operatively connected to said headrest to elevate said headrest and, during rotation of said rods as the twisted portions thereof pass through said guides, to move the same laterally.

4. In a chair back of the character described having a back plate, a front cover attached to said back plate and including a portion spaced therefrom to provide a recess, and a headrest mounted within said recess, the combination of operating means mounted on the outside of said chair back, actuating means for said headrest in said recess and connected to said operating means, said actuating means comprising a plurality of vertical rods, said rods being movable longitudinally to raise said headrest from within said recess and being rotatable to move said headrest laterally, and a plate slidably and resiliently mounted on said rods and supporting means connected to and guiding said headrest during lateral movement thereof.

5. In a chair back of the character described having a back plate, a front cover attached to said back plate and including a portion spaced therefrom to provide a recess, and a headrest mounted within said recess, the combination of operating means mounted on the outside of said chair back, actuating means for said headrest in said recess and connected to said operating means, said actuating means being supported on said back plate and comprising a plurality of vertical rods, said rods being movable longitudinally to raise said headrest from within said recess and being rotatable to move said headrest laterally, and a plate slidably and resiliently mounted on said rods and supporting means connected to and guiding said headrest during lateral movement thereof.

6. In a chair back of the character described having a back plate, a front cover attached to said back plate and including a portion spaced therefrom to provide a recess, and a headrest mounted within said recess, the combination of operating means mounted on the outside of said chair back, actuating means for said headrest in said recess and connected to said operating means, said back plate and cover having registering openings to permit said headrest to be moved outwardly from said recess, said actuating means comprising a plurality of longitudinally movable, vertical rods adapted to raise said headrest from within said recess through said openings and means resiliently and slidably mounted on said rods adapted to close said openings when said headrest has been raised from within said recess.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,693,166 Walcom Nov. 27, 1928 1,805,189 Rothe May 12, 1931 1,867,600 Schwartzkopf July 19, 1932 2,158,183 Hascham May 16, 1939 2,450,971 Letch Oct. 12, 1948 2,466,553 McDonald Apr. 5, 1949 

